


Anticipation

by arrow (esteefee)



Category: due South
Genre: April Showers Challenge, Crack, Established Relationship, Humor, M/M, POV Third Person, day in the life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-14
Updated: 2009-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-17 12:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/176768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esteefee/pseuds/arrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ROUND POWDERED TASTY THINGS GOOD.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anticipation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ds_flashfiction's Delayed Gratification Challenge.
> 
> Now with [Podfic](http://www.audiofic.jinjurly.com/anticipation) recorded by [kalakirya](http://kalakirya.dreamwidth.org)!

  
It's up there. Dief knows it's up there because a long time ago (feels like long time—it was in the time after lunch but before now, which is not-lunch and not-dinner) Ray-brother put it up there after they went Outside to the place where they hunt food.

The woman-friend patted Dief before she dropped it in the brown paper holder with other food.

And now it's on top of the box-tall where Ray keeps the cold food, which is too high for Dief to get his paws up to see. Why would Ray put it up there? That's not where food belongs. Food belongs down close to the ground so it can be eaten properly.

It's no use asking Fraser-brother, because Dief already asked him more-times-than-one and the last time he asked, Fraser made growls at him—pretend-funny, but growls just the same (not bite-growls but push-growls) and then Fraser made Dief sit under the table.

There's nothing under-table but dust and a (too-old) piece of carrot.

Dief gets up and shakes out hard, then goes to sit in front of turtle-friend to complain. Turtle doesn't understand, but Dief knows Fraser-brother (and even Ray-brother) will overhear.

"It's on the box-tall and Ray won't bring it down even though it has been long-long since lunch. Long- _long_ ," Dief says, and he fast-looks at Ray.

Ray teeth-shows and says to Fraser, "Aw, _yursomedaddwarf_. Dief, _apromstasaffayaa_ donut." Then he makes a sound-laugh.

Yes. _Donut_. Dief walks back to box-tall and paws at the slick surface.

"Dief!" Fraser-brother tries to sound not-happy but there is sound-laugh hiding inside Dief's name.

"C'mon, Fraser _thupaarfaallaa_ _juhswansaleel_ dinner."

Dinner! "Dinner?" Dief asks, and Ray-brother walks over and kneels next to Dief.

"Buddy, I _praamasfurszinafffar_ dinner _yoolgasam_ donuts. Okay?"

"Yes," Dief agree-barks and Ray scratches— _oh, nice scratch-scratch-and-ruffle_ —under Dief's chin where he can never reach. Then Ray gets up and opens the kibble-door and pours dinner into Dief's bowl.

Dief eats immediately, because _food_ , and because though Ray doesn't seem to like kibble-food, Dief is always worried he will change his mind.

Fraser-brother _definitely_ doesn't like kibble-food. This Dief knows because in long-ago when they were Out in snow-cold trapped in white for too long, Fraser-brother had no food and almost became death-still. Dief tried to give him his own kibble-food, even though he was hungry, so _hungry-hungry-hungry,_ but Fraser made eyes-sad and said, _No, thank-you-kily, Dief_.

Dief thinks he's crazy, but there is no explaining Fraser.

All his kibble-food is gone before Dief realizes. He thinks maybe Ray took it after all, but no, Dief feels it good in his stomach.

"Howzat?" Ray asks.

Dief thank-barks and then stretches out, his chin-on-paws. He knows this works sometimes.

"Aw, Dief. Still _thegabbatt_ those donuts?"

Dief sighs as if the whole world has gone night-dark.

"Okay. Here ya go."

Dief trembles a little but doesn't move until he sees Ray reach up-up to take down square donut-inside. Then Dief goes up to put his paws on Ray's belly.

Ray startles like rabbit-jump, and—donuts almost fall! Donuts almost fall from Ray's hand to floor!

But no. Ray laugh-barks and shakes his head, then takes out only one donut and one donut before putting back the square.

Still, one donut and one donut is good, very good, and Dief sits and teeth-shows. He wraps his tail around his paws to say, see? Waiting.

Dief has seen other not-wolfs do things for food, but Ray never makes Dief do those things. He just tosses the donut perfect so Dief can catch-and-swallow. Dief eats it fast because it is the best thing of everything. Of everything there is, frenchfry and fish-dead-in-seaweed and cat-kibble and butt-of-skunk, nothing is as good as donut.

Fraser-brother comes over and sees the other donut in Ray's hand. Though Fraser shakes his head, he just teeth-shows when Ray tosses the donut. Dief air-snaps it and swallows fast, just in case.

Still, he thinks Fraser must like donut, too, because he takes Ray's hand and licks Ray's fingers where there was donut.

Ray makes a sound Dief doesn't understand. But when Dief asks, Fraser says, "Never mind, Dief," and pulls Ray to the sleep-room.

Dief lies down in front of box-tall to keep watch until breakfast.

....................  
2009.03.14

**Author's Note:**

> I realize it's really "doughnut," but Dief would be the first to tell you he has terrible spelling. (It just looked funnier, okay?)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Anticipation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/632685) by [kalakirya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalakirya/pseuds/kalakirya)




End file.
